BENGALURU:
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has hit out at the Karnataka government led by Congress for setting an inquiry commission to probe into the procurement of medicines, equipment and the alleged irregularities in oxygen supply during the COVID-19 pandemic during the previous government, and called it “political vindictive approach”.
Former Karnataka minister K Sudhakar, while speaking to the reporters here, alleged that the state government has ‘bypassed’ the autonomous body of Lokayukta that investigates the corruption.
“The political vindictive approach of this new government has started. If there is any irregularity, we have an autonomous institution ‘Lokayukta’. They have bypassed it…,” the former state health minister said.
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He further said that the Siddharamaih government wants a report into the matter to ‘suit’ its political requirements.“They want a report to suit their political requirements,” he added.
The Karnataka government has set up an inquiry commission headed by a retired High Court judge to probe into the procurement of medicines, equipment and the alleged irregularities in oxygen supply during the COVID-19 pandemic when the BJP was in power.
Issuing an order to this effect on Friday, the government said it expected the commission led by Justice John Michael D’Cunha to submit the report in three months. The government order said it has taken serious note of serious charges made by the Public Accounts Committee in its report in July-August regarding the procurement of medicines, equipment and oxygen mismanagement that led to the deaths of people.
The order further said the departments concerned will have to provide the documents required for the investigation and all necessary facilities including staff, space, stationery, vehicle and equipment needed to operate an office. The ruling government has been alleging large-scale irregularities in the COVID management during the previous BJP rule in the state. It had promised to conduct a fair inquiry into the irregularities if voted to power.
However, speaking on the same earlier in the day, Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka DK Shivakumar said that his government does not want to do ‘vendetta politics’, but justice for the people of the state.
“…We don’t want to do any vendetta politics. We want there to be justice. 36 people died due to (lack of) Oxygen (supply). But the Minister said that only three people died. Should we not investigate? Not even a single staff has been suspended. No one has been held accountable…,” Shivakumar said. (ANI)
